Product: HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini
Type: Mechanical Keyboard
Price: $209
Availability: May 13
Link: hyperxgaming.com/us/keyboards/ducky-one-2-mini-mechanical-gaming-keyboard

Cute hasn’t been a word that we’ve used when describing the overall look of a mechanical keyboard before. That is, until now. Make no mistake about it the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini is cute. But it’s also sleek, well-made, has a great feel and is generally cool to use. The 60% form-factor is no doubt the first thing you notice about this limited-edition Mechanical Keyboard. What that means is that the One 2 Mini is basically the size of just the main keys. The letters, numbers, Shifts and Alts, with no room for dedicated function keys or even arrows.

Of course, if you’re used to either of those – or have, well, used a regular gaming keyboard before – adjusting to the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini will take some time. It’s a keyboard Wayne Szalinski might have used in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, except this isn’t miniaturised. What keys you do get, are all the right size. In our own time with the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini the plug-and-play portability and small form-factor created a strong attachment and dare we say it – real bond – between us and this stand-out release from HyperX.

Look and Feel

As per the naming the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini represents the first collaboration between HyperX and Taiwanese company Ducky. And for those that haven’t heard of Ducky or Ducky Mechanical Keyboards before, it’s a name synonymous with professional grade products – mechanical keyboards created to match a high standard of touch, feel, and performance. The result here is the use of Ducky PBT Double-Shot seamless keycaps paired with HyperX mechanical switches in the small 60% form-factor that Ducky has been known to produce. This limited-edition release features full per-key RGB lighting, a matte black top, and a shiny red-coloured plastic shell running underneath. From a look perspective the design is pure Ducky in-line with HyperX branding. There’s even a very cool replaceable spacebar.

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“Make no mistake about it the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini is cute. But it’s also sleek, well-made, has a great feel and is generally cool to use.”

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Without the full suite of keys found on most keyboards, there are quite a few more secondary functions to be found here than normal – but thankfully each is printed cleanly across the available keys. Fans of F1 through to F12 are well catered for. Dedicated audio functions are also included, making the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini versatile as opposed to something hampered by its size.

Type Cast

Switch Type: HyperX Switch (Red Linear tested for review)

LED Color: Per-key RGB

Cable: Wired (USB-C), detachable

Dimensions: 302.0 x 108.0 x 40.0 mm

Product Weight: 599 grams

Features: Ducky PBT Double-Shot seamless keycaps, Ducky Macro 2.0, 100% Anti-Ghosting, and N-Key Rollover

The reason why this uses HyperX switches comes from Ducky’s own reliance on outside companies for that side of its keyboards. With HyperX’s own mechanical switches really coming into their own lately (thanks to the wonderful feel of the recent Alloy Origins and Alloy Origins Core) the only real difference here versus a Cherry MX switch would be the slightly shorter travel distance of the HyperX Linear RED Switch. The sort of thing you’d have to possess supernatural abilities to notice without a direct comparison and plenty of time.

That said the result is a greater gaming feel, and on that front the One 2 Mini might just feature the best spacebar we’ve experienced in a keyboard to date. Bouncy and firm in all the right places. For the record, yes this is still a review of a mechanical keyboard.

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“Fans of F1 through to F12 are well catered for. Dedicated audio functions are also included, making the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini versatile as opposed to something hampered by its size.”

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The only real downside with this release comes from coming to grips with Ducky Macro 2.0 and using key presses to do everything from adjust RGB lighting to switching profiles. It’s all robust and detailed when it works, but a software approach would have made things a lot easier. It took us a while to go from the rainbow RGB swirl to a single tone colour the first time around. In the end this collaboration between HyperX and Ducky has turned in a real gem.

After that mini shock of first plugging the keyboard in, the solid and sturdy build and great Ducky feel of the keys make for a wonderful surprise. Not merely a strange one-off but a mechanical keyboard that feels incredibly well designed. As of now we couldn’t fathom sitting in front of a gaming laptop without the HyperX x Ducky One 2 plugged in.

An adorable, versatile, and excellent mechanical keyboard. If you’re interested in checking it out, fair-waring, only 3700 of these are getting made.